In Marvel’s comics, Captain America is a Nazi now. Rather, he’s a Hydra operative, which means he’s a member of a group that has had ties to Nazism in the history of the comics, but which the writers are trying to distance from its more unsavory historical connotations. But a DC hero is taking the opposite route: Lotus Entertainment and Paperchase Films have optioned the film rights to nonfiction book Superman vs. the Ku Klux Klan: The True Story of How the Iconic Superhero Battled the Men of Hate.
Syfy hasn’t yet given an official order to Superman prequel Krypton, but someone is making sure these promos get attention. Following the first “leaked” trailer, get another look at Krypton with a haunting story of how Kal-El’s world once lived.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice had quite the weekend — not only did it break the March opening record previously held by The Hunger Games, but with $424 million worldwide, Zack Snyder’s epic now boasts the highest opening weekend for a Warner Bros. superhero movie. All those negative reviews predictably had zero effect on audiences, who flocked to see the long-awaited showdown between the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel.
Zack Snyder makes superhero movies, but his characters don’t act very heroic. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice features all the other trappings of the superhero genre: Capes, gadgets, outlandish muscles, punching stuff. But the two stars aren’t noble or chivalrous; they’re violent, aggressive, and angry — mostly at each other instead of the bad guys. In Snyder’s formulation, protecting the world from evil isn’t a gift or a calling; it’s a burden. And that feeling is reflected in the movie itself, a burdensome 150- minute slog about two men fighting over who is in the right when both are very clearly in the wrong.
Last week we learned that Jena Malone’s secret role in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice had been cut from the theatrical release, though her scene (which is presumably brief) will be restored for the Ultimate Edition on Blu-ray and DVD. But you won’t have to wait until that version hits shelves to find out who Malone is playing in Zack Snyder’s superhero epic, since it looks like Warner Bros. has accidentally spilled the beans.
It’s both cool and a little silly to hear the name “Alfred” come out of Ben Affleck’s mouth, but the brief moments we’ve seen between our new Batman and Jeremy Irons’ Alfred have been one of the highlights of the trailers and TV spots for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The latest spot opens with Bruce Wayne and his most trusted friend bantering about the Dark Knight’s age, though that does not stop him from taking on the Man of Steel later on in the new sneak peek.
As promised, we have more details on the R-rated Ultimate Edition of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which will hit Blu-ray and DVD later this year. And contrary to the initial assumption that Warner Bros. was trying to capitalize on Deadpool’s success with a restricted version of the superhero epic, director Zack Snyder confirms that the Ultimate Edition exists more as a director’s cut — not an excuse to ramp up the violence and profanity.